Buckle



J. HORA Nov. 25, 1952 Filed Nov. 7, 1950 Patented Nov. 25, 1952 BUCKLE Josef Hora, deceased, late of`MeIide, Switzerland,` by Walther Trautwein, administrator, Burg, Germany,I assigner to Gerber & Co., Melide,

Switzerland' Application November 7, 1950, Serial No. 194,472 In Switzerland November 8, 1949 1 claim. 1

'Ihis invention relates to a buckle for securing together two straps or belts or two portions of the same strap or belt, such as the two ends of a garment belt, whereby one of the said straps or belts is retained in the buckle by squeezing engagement.

One object of the invention is to provide a buckle capable of reliably retaining, by such squeezing engagement, straps or belts of different thicknesses Without requiring mechanical adjustment of the buckle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a buckle which can be easily manufactured in particular from synthetic resin.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of an embodiment thereof, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a belt buckle, and

Fig- 2 is a plan View of the same.

In the drawing, the reference number I indicates a closed, rectangular frame comprising longitudinal portions or elements I3 and transverse portions or elements It, I5 as well as a bridge 2 extending between the longitudinal elements I3 and parallel to the transverse elements I4, I5. A11 these elements and the bridge 2 are preferably manufactured integral with each other, for

instance from synthetic resin. The bridge 2 serves for permanently attaching to the buckle one end 3 of a garment belt by plying it around the said bridge to form a loop and closing the latter by sewing or riveting the overlapping parts of the belt together. Parallel to the bridge, two short pivot lugs lt facing each other are formed on the inner face of the longitudinal frame elements. Moreover two at lugs I2 are provided on the inner face of these elements so as to form abutment faces substantially in the central plane of the frame.

Pivotally mounted in the frame I there is an H-shaped movable squeezing member consisting of a rst transverse portion or pivot leg 5 both ends of which are provided With recesses 5 for engagement with the lugs 4, a second transverse portion or pressure leg 'l parallel to the pivot leg 6, and a central longitudinal portion or bridge connecting the two legs at their middle. The pressure leg l has a longitudinal slot 9 and carries a number of lugs Il), which in the described example are three in number and which face the transverse portion I5 of the frame I so as to leave only a small gap I6 therebetween. Swinging of the described movable squeezing member around the axis of the pivot lugs 4 is limited to one side of the frame I by the ends of the pressure leg 'I abutting against the abutment faces of the above-mentioned lugs I2 of the frame I. The movable member preferably is also an integral piece made from a suitable synthetic resin. Both its legs 6 and 'I and its bridge 8 are each of such cross-section as to permit elastic flexion. In particular, the slot 9 in the leg 'I makes its front portion carrying the lugs I0 very resilient.

To secure the other end I I of the belt or girdle 3, the movable squeezing member 6, l, 8 is swung upwards to increase the gap I5 between the lugs I0 and the adjacent transverse element I5 of the frame I. Then, the end II of the belt is drawn through this gap from beneath, and the movable squeezing member again pressed down until its leg 'I abuts against the lugs I2 of the frame. Due to the presence of the belt II in the gap I6 the lugs ID are thereby forced ba-ck, and the leg 1, as well as the bridge and the pivot leg 5 of the movable member are resiliently flexed, all as shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, so that the lugs IIl exert a pressure on the belt, thus squeezing the latter between the lugs I0 and the transverse member I5 of the frame and securing it in position. The extremity of the belt end II finally can be drawn through the interval between the opposite transverse element I4 of the frame and the bridge 2, in order to cover the movable member and give the belt closure a neat appearance, as well as to prevent opening of the buckle by accidental traction on that belt extremity.

If the resilience of the movable member is conveniently chosen, belts in a large range of diierent thicknesses upwards from the minimum width of the gap I6 can be firmly secured with buckles of the described construction, without having to resort to different buckle sizes or mechanical adiustment means for the movable squeezing member.

What is claimed is:

A buckle comprising a closed frame member made from synthetic resin and having longitudinal and transverse portions, and a squeezing member made from resilient synthetic resin having two resilient transverse portions connected to each other at their centers by a longitudinal portion, the ends of one of the said transverse portions of the said squeezing member and the opposed internal faces of two longitudinal portions of the said frame member being provided, on one member, with integral short pivot lugs, and on the other member, with complementary recesses for receiving said lugs. whereby the said 3 squeezing member is swingable in said frame REFERENCES CITED member to and from a position in which the other The following references are of record m the transverse portion of the said squeezing member me of this patent. faces a transverse portion of said frame member with a narrow kgap therebetween for resiliently 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS squeezing a belt vor strap in said gap, the said Number Name Date other transverse portion of the said squeezing 1,080,672 Ayer Dec. 9, 1913 member having at least one transverse slot to 1,306,403 Carpenter June 10, 1919 increase P WALTHER TRAUTWEIN, Number Country Date Administrator of the Estate of Josef Hora, 171328 Norway Feb 3, 1905 Deceased 7,076 Great Britain of 1912 367,793 Italy Feb. 2, 1939 u 258,387 Switzerland May 2, 1949 

